The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1887-04-28
An Episode in Swamp Life.
BY 4. HATCHETT.
Written for the GOLD LEAF

.ginia to take charge of Silver Creek Land
ing Gn the Sunfower River, IaZOO county.
Hiss. Starting from Petersburg in com
pany with my young friend y. A.
NhO was to be my clerk, after going
through a variety Of interesting adventures
we reached our destination and took pos
session In order that the reader may I'M
derstand what il is TO follow, brief de-
script;On Of that section Of country must be
giycn-a country that must be seen to be
JndcrstoOd-the great awamps of the Mis-
sissippi Valley. Ten miles above the city
of Eicksburg the IaZOo clitcIs the great
father of waters, and about twenty-five
inileS up the YaZOo, the big Sunflower
mingles her waters: Thirty miles up the
SunllUWcr Is the mouth Of Silver Creek
the landing-the very heart of that over
flow section extending two hundred and
fifty miles III length and one hundred in
width, with an almost annual overflow
every Spring of from three to seyenty-tive
feet according t. different elevations, coy
cring this vast arearage. \ swamp as
dense, as malariouS, as impenetIable rs the
juGgleS of the Nile, with all its dreadful
monsters. save the Lion and Boa COnstric-
tor. From the landing to the mouth Of the
river there was not Il single habtation-
not Il human being lived; no one lived up
the river nearer than the next landing,
twenty-five miles of; up the creek there
was no mortal nearer than Capt McC's,
the beginning of the settlement seven miles
OF. Such was the home to which \. A.
and myself accompanied by.a negro boy
brought with Us from Virginia to act as our
cook, arrived in the most sickly and dull
season of tie year. Truly a bright pros
pect for two youngsters, fresh from the
gayeties OF old Virginia society to contem-
plate; Ill swamp full of rattle snakes,
bears, panthcIs, wolves and ali else that
could make night hidcOus, seven miles
from the nearest habitatiOn, with the river
so low the semi-weekly boats would have
ceased to come, even without the Eicks-
burg yellow fever quarantine; living in a
house built Oh huge cypress blocks about
four feet high, through the roof of which
we saw the stars SHINE at night, with cracks
i'll the floor SO large it was dangerous for
anyone to walk wearing less than a No. II
shoe; with no books, no company save our
selves and the negro Fred, all having chills
every Gay. With the nightly bowling of
wolves and the cry Of panthers compelling
lis to lock and bar every door as soon as
twilight set in, our condition was not to be
envicd by any, not even North Carolina
Legislator of to-day.
We must do something or die; this lone
someness was killing. Fortunately we had
some axes, and as the boats would give us.
when they commenced running again, five
dollars per cord for ash wood, we went TO
work cutting wood, about three hundred
yards from the landing. We cut wood till
way long III October-cut till we thought
we could sell no more The question now
was, how to get it to the landing? In q
few days party OF gentlemen on a bear
hunt camped with us at night, one of whom
offered TO sell me wagon and a pair of
Texas mules, if he could catch them, (thev
had been in the swamp six months) at a
reasonable price, and | at once acceeded to
his proposition. In about week the wagon
was sent down by negro with two Ken
lucky mules hitched to it, with a note stat
ing he thought he could send nv mules in
day or two. He sent them according to
promise, or rather brought them, for they
were dragged by rope twisted around
their lower lip. After about two DAYS
hard work we got the harness on them. on
the third day we got them hitched and
with rope tied in the mouth of each
reaching way beyond the hind part of the
wagon. the two ends of which were held
by A. and Fred, got iii the wagon.
gathered the lines, and with a last appeal
to them not to let go the ropes, gave the
word. They drew themselves IN in q
knot, pulled their heads nearly through
the collars, made a side shake or TWO
doubled up more, and made iump of
about twenty feet, taking the wagon en-
HreIy on the ground, jerking A. fat
OF his face, who let so the rope as he bel
lowed go to III d-n YOU" The
negro was also thrown, but he had wrapped
the rope around his wrist in such way he
couldn't let go as conveniently as he might
nave wished, consequently by heading the
tongue TO the centre of a pecan tree, l
Drought them to short pause.
After so long time we managed 70 oct
them to the wood. The negro and myself
were to do the holding while A. (who
Swore he never would have no more to do
with the mules) was to load the wagon.
Not in the best of Eumor, while be worked
hard, his words were bad, considering his
very orthodox training. The load was
about half on, the mules were bowling their
backs for another spring, when in taking
up a stick of wood, there lay an enormous
rattle snake. cOiled and ready for the
deadly spring. For a few seconds not the
Pyramids of Egypt were more immovable
than we. Even the mules seemed petrified
by the sound ofthe rattles. Finally A.
Sprang on the wagon, the mules started off
dragging the negro and myself. We got |
that load to the landing, we unhitched. |
took off the harness. put lock chain
around the neck of each chained them to
the pillows on which our house was built
and bauled no more wood,